Reveal
by thenotefromwhichachordisbuilt
Summary: "Kevin finds himself drawn to the skinny brainiac who was blind to world of romance until a certain red head gives him more to think about than mathematics and the chemical make-up of the elements." KEVEDD. [Do not own cover photo; Nat Goldberg (c) C2ndy2c1d (deivantart).]
1. Chapter 1

**Whaaaat? Writing something other than Legend of Zelda?**

 **Crazy, I know. But I do have other interests. And other ships.**

 **So enjoy the change of scene!**

 **~Stay Beautiful**

* * *

Chapter 1

Fall Semester

Freshman Year

Edinburgh University

I looked around my room of the new apartment I was renting, approximately 10 minutes from campus. I still had several boxes that I needed to take care of but I had all the essentials, bedding, dishes, and my TV along with Xbox, games, controllers and so on, unpacked.

Classes started in two weeks and I was stoked to begin my college career as an Edinburgh Eagle. I had won several scholarships for football and even some for baseball along with scholarships for my abnormally high ACT score. I had busted my butt for months studying for that shit, knowing that I wanted to earn enough money and walk out of school with as little debt as possible. My parents agreed to help me out with housing and rent me an apartment off campus, which was marginally cheaper than living in a dorm.

I was planning majoring in Sports Administration with a minor in Athletic Coaching. The dream goal was to end up as a district sports director and maybe even coach some baseball. I considered getting a physical education degree so I had a more direct line to coaching but I didn't want to be stuck in a gym or the rest of my life, full of brats that didn't want to be there and teaching them how to kick a ball. So I went the administration route.

As for actual sports itself, I had already done tryouts for the football team and was starting practices already, hence why I was moved in so early before classes starting. I was lined up to be tailback and was told that if I kept at it, I could try my hand at being quarterback for a game or two, next season. I was more than stoked – a freshman coming in as a tailback? That was pretty rad. I hoped I did the position justice. I also planned on trying out for baseball next semester to keep me busy during the spring.

I had an on-campus job where half my paycheck went to my school bill and the other was given to me for spending money. It wasn't anything flashy or extensive, just working the ticket booth for the athletic department but I was hoping to get an insider's look to the athletic department and how it operated, as I could potentially work at a university in the future.

I chugged the rest of my soda and decided it was time to get to work unpacking. I had the next few days off from practice to get myself ready for classes and whatnot, so I decided to use it wisely. Classes would start here soon enough and I didn't want to be living out of boxes when that happened.

The past two weeks flew by as I slowly prepped for classes and as practices began dominating my time. Before I knew it, I was headed for my first college class – General Psychology. _Pft, sounds like something the smart dork from the cul-de-sac would enjoy._ I kinda wondered where he ended up. We didn't talk much for glaringly obvious reasons but I knew the dude was way too smart to end up anywhere but one of the top schools, probably Ivy League or something far away from Peach Creek. I actually ended up a pretty far distance from the cul-de-sac myself. I stayed within the state but was at the opposite corner essentially. Nazz stayed close to home at the local university, which was a bummer. She and I promised to talk and visit often though. Rolf had no need for furthering his education after graduating high school. Last we spoke, he told me that he planned on working to save enough to buy land to be a Shepard's son…and Shepard livestock, which didn't come as a huge shock to me. But I was glad to hear he was taking strides to becoming more independent. Those were my only two real friends – at least the only two I planned to keep tabs with while I was away. I wasn't too worried about making friends though, since a few guys from the team and I had already hit it off.

I parked my bike into the spot next to a poorly parked Honda – the benefit of driving a motorcycle around instead of a car, I didn't have to worry about dumbasses taking half a spot – and turned it off. I removed my helmet and immediately place my signature red cap on and twisted it backwards. I clipped my helmet onto the motorcycle before dismounting and headed towards the building of my first class.

I flipped open my phone and pulled up my schedule to check the room number of my class – General Psychology. _124…okay, just down the hall then._ I opened the door and saw that the room was empty except for one person sitting at the very front. I pulled my phone out again to check my schedule to see if I missed something. _General Psych, room 124._ I double-checked the number on the door to confirm I was in the right place. I swiped the screen to check the class time. _Damnit…class starts at 12:30, not 12._ I stood there in the doorway, debating on whether or not I should leave and just come back. I heard the sound of papers shuffling and my eye was drawn to the person sitting in the front of the room. _What a second…_ I stepped further into the room, walking a few steps down the lecture hall aisle towards the front of the room. _Very front row, overly prepared, black hat…_

"Double Dee?" I questioned, standing a few rows back from the brainiac neighborhood kid. The man in question started, obviously not expecting anyone else to be in class half an hour early. He turned around and sure enough, it was Edd. The scrawny little twerp was actually enrolled in the same university as me. His eyes widened, not expecting to see me of all people.

"K-Kevin?" he stammered and I could see his nervousness about seeing his childhood bully.

"Hey man," I said and I walked down the other steps. "I didn't know you went here," I said as I leaned against the table across the aisle from Double Dee's seat. "Shouldn't you be somewhere like Harvard or Cornell?" I asked. I could see he was shaking a bit – nothing unusual for the overly anxious genius.

"Yes, well, I-I was offered a full ride here," he said, his fingers nervously pressed against one another near his chest.

"Well duh, but weren't you offered a full ride at every Ivy League school in the country?" I asked as Edd smoothed out his cardigan.

"Yes, well, I was offered free tuition at several Ivy Leagues; however they would not pay for my housing so I figured I could go to a less prestige school and exit college with zero doubt. Edinburgh offered me free tuition as well as room and board for my entire undergraduate career. Plus, they have an excellent anthropology program here that I found…intriguing," he said with a small smile. "My mother is also an Edinburgh alumni, which is why I ended up here."

"Choice," I said, putting my hands in my pocket. It felt silent between us for a few moments, neither of us sure what to say. We were at odds throughout elementary and middle school – I found him annoying and he found me terrifying – and mere acquaintances in high school. We'd never really had a lengthy conversation with just the two of us. I cleared my throat and glanced around, not sure if I should leave or stick around.

"Is…Is there a particular reason that selected Edinburgh as you choice for furthering your education?" he asked tentatively. I guess we were going to have an awkward small talk.

"Uhh, yeah. This was one of the few places that offered both my major and minor of choice. That and they offered me several footballs scholarships – more than most universities," I explained.

"Excellent! I had anticipated you would be continuing your athletic career," he said, looking a little less nervous.

"Ha, yeah. Guess that wasn't too difficult to predict," I grinned. "What are you majoring in?" _Probably something advanced like engineering._

"I am double majoring in Global History and Anthropology with a minor in Health Communication," he said, a big smile on his face, big enough that I could see the little gap he had between his two front teeth.

"Holy shit dude," I swore. "I mean I know you like learning but damn," I said.

"Please watch your language Kevin," he said, frowning slightly and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever dude. What do you plan on doing with all those degrees?" He flashed me a quick smile.

"I'd like to travel someday," he said, eyes growing distant. "Travel to far indigenous countries to learn of their cultures and societal inner workings!" He smiled.

"Sounds rad," I said, not really sure what he meant by societal whatever, but the travel part sounded cool.

"May," he cleared his throat, "may I ask you what degree you are majoring in?"

I took my phone from my pocket and checked the time. It was only 12:13. I let my book bag slip to the ground and jumped to sit on the table. Looks like we were doing the conversation thing, so might as well get comfy.

"I'm majoring in Sports Administration with a coaching minor. I plan on becoming an athletic director for school district or somethin'. Maybe even for a university if I can manage that. The dream is do be a professional coach someday, either for football or baseball – depends on how everything unfolds." I shrugged. "I'm just gunna roll with it, ya know?" I asked.

"Fascinating, Kevin. You sound like you are fairly prepared for your future. Very admirable!" I chuckled at his enthusiasm. I removed a hand from my pocket to rub the back of my head.

"Thanks, I guess." More silence.

"May I ask, Kevin, why are you in class so early?" I stuffed my hand back into my pocket.

"Yeeeah, I didn't pay close enough attention to the schedule. I thought we started at 12, not 12:30," I said.

"Oh dear. Best pay better attention in the future, lest you arrive late to a class rather than early," he lectured. _Ah, I remember why I was always annoyed with him._

"Right," I said, slightly irritated. "Don't you know everything about psychology already? You use to like it when were kids, I remember."

"You are correct – the mind is a fascinating tool. I am well versed in the knowledge of basic psychology principles. However, I am still required to take certain courses to fulfill core class credit."

"Dude, you can probably just skip classes and show up for exams then," I told him, knowing full well the Double Dork never skipped anything remotely academic in his life. I couldn't help but grin at the shocked look on his face as he admonished me for entertaining such a ludicrous idea.

"Relax dude, I was messin' with ya," I said and laughed when he showed me how much he appreciated that.

"Very funny Kevin," he said. I was still grinning when I heard the door open at the back of the lecture hall. I heard voices float down to where we were as a group of girls entered the room. I check my phone and saw the time was now 12:24. _Well that went by kinda fast._

"Well, see ya around, Dork," I said as I picked up my book bag.

"Farewell!" I looked at him, momentarily forgetting the Double Dweeb was born in the wrong era, and headed up the aisle. I chose an aisle seat close to the back of the row and properly slouched to endure what was going to be a very dull class.

"Hey cutie, mind if I sit next to you?" I heard an all too familiar voice behind me. I turned my head to see a fellow football member, Nathan Goldberg, standing in the middle of the aisle with a hand on his hip, lips puckered out and batting his eyelids fluttering.

"Fuck off, ya idiot," I said, snickering slightly at his ridiculous stance. He jumped over the back of the seat and plopped himself next to me.

"Oh mah Gard!" He yelled in a strangely Southern accent, causing everyone else to turn and see who the hell the loudmouth was. "I git tuh sit next tuh thee HANDSOME and WELL-ENDOWNED Kevin Barr?! Oh, mah lucky stars!" He hollered and I had to keep myself from bursting into laughter at the ridiculous gestures he was making, flailing his arms around and throwing his head from side to side.

"Shut up Nat, before I pound ya," I said, punching his arm harshly, sending the teal-haired fiend into a bout of laughter.

"Hey, get a room you queers!" I heard another familiar voice call from the other side of the class. Andy, another team member, was grinning, knowing full well how Nat could be.

"Don't make me kick your ass, Andy. Or worse, I'll sick Nat on ya," I teased back, earning a couple laughs around the room.

"Students…" came a stern voice from the front desk. The professor had apparently arrived. "Let's shut down the ruckus, shall we? It's 12:30, which means it's my time to take over." And with that, my first college class began.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to avoid any confusion while reading: This is Kevin narrating.** _ **This is Kevin thinking.**_ **Hopefully that difference makes sense because I switch between the two often.**

 **~Stay Beautiful**

Chapter 2

Fall Semester

Freshman Year

Edinburgh University

-One week later-

"BARR, HOLD YOUR POSITION!" The coach yelled from down the field. I had been momentarily distracted and failed to stop an opponent from taking down the quarterback.

"Yes coach!" I shouted back, kicking myself for not paying better attention. This was not what I wanted to be remembered for – the freshman that couldn't fucking block a tackle. _Alright, Kev. Get it together. It was just that once. You got this._

I got into position and crouched slightly as the whistle blew. I listened to the center as he yelled out commands as I eyed the defensive line, which consisted of my fellow teammates in different colored jerseys. As the ball snapped back, I rushed in to cover the quarterback's flank as he searched for an open receiver. Not finding a good pass, he went with plan B.

"Barr!" He barked and I quickly crossed behind him, taking the ball firmly into my grip. I tucked the ball into my chest and started sprinting down the left side of the field. Curtis, the senior quarterback rushed into the fray, temporarily distracting the defensive players that had yet to notice that the ball had been passed. I got a good 15-yard gain before I was tackled.

"Nice run," a guard called out to me. I smacked his offered hand in thanks, heading to get into position for the first down.

"Better, Barr! Keep it up," the coach hollered at me and I nodded in his direction.

"Set!" I got into position once more.

After a 2-hour practice, we all headed back to the locker room. I swiped the sweat on my forehead onto the sleeve of my practice jersey. I then proceeded to remove the jersey along with the shoulders pads and other protective gear.

"Strippin' for me?" Nat called over from his locker. I looked over to see him wink at me, a wicked grin on his face. I chuckled.

"Bro, you're gunna fool some homophobic dude into thinking you're actually flirting one of these days. I'd like to be there to see him deck ya," I teased as I took a small towel to dry up the bits of sweat from my face and upper body.

"You wish. More than likely I'd end up converting him," Nat said as he changed into regular clothes. A few of the guys around us laughed.

"Yeah right, Nat. You're not that good looking," one of them said. Nat slammed his locker door shut.

"Excuuuuse me?" I snickered as Nat did what he did best – bantered sassily. I threw on a light hoodie and slipped some black shorts. I tossed my gear into the gym bag to take home to wash before throwing it over my shoulder. I waved goodbye to the diva of the football team and various others as I made my way out. A quick glance at my phone told me I had little more than an hour to shower and get to class. I jogged across the parking lot, to my bike. I strapped my bag onto the bike tightly before throwing my leg over. I slipped my helmet onto my head before kicking the bike to life.

After I had showered and gotten dressed, I saw that I had plenty of time to walk to class. I'd normally prefer taking my bike, especially after football practice, but the weather outside was nice and I was all about saving money on gas. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder. I made sure I had my phone and my wallet before locking my apartment door behind me.

I walked toward the university plaza, which was on the way to the psychology building, heading there for lunch. The plaza housed a large fountain with a surrounding circle of grass where some students were eating, sitting, studying or even laying down. I passed the open area to the building just behind it, where the restaurants were. I picked some place that served sandwiches and ordered one with turkey and cheese with extra mayo. I grabbed a bottle of water and took my purchased food outside. I scanned the tables that were scattered throughout the plaza but seeing as it was lunchtime, the majority of the tables were filled. I was about to give up and go sit on the grass when I noticed a familiar black hat, sitting at one of the tables with a sunshade. He had his nose in some book with a lunch container sitting on the seat, his only lunch companion. I headed over his way. I walked up to the table, approaching his right side with my lunch in hand. He was so engrossed in his book that he didn't appear to notice me.

"You expecting company?" I spoke up, causing him to startle. He whipped his head to look over at me.

"K-Kevin! Pardon my manners, I didn't see you there," he apologized. I raised an eyebrow and pointed to the seat next to him that wasn't occupied by the lunch box. "Yes, of course," he said, motioning for me to take the empty seat. "My apologies for not offering!" I shrugged as I slid into the seat and plopped the wrapped sandwich onto the table. I twisted off the cap of the water and took a swig.

"Whatcha reading?" I asked before unwrapping my sandwich, partially starved.

"Why, rereading the assigned chapter for today's lecture," he said, smiling at me. He pointed to something in the text. "I was simply fascinated by several of the studies of the…" he droned on about something I didn't quite understand for some time. I just sat there and chewed my food, watching him. _Wow. Kid is…kinda lame._ "Don't you think so Kevin?" I paused, mid-chew.

"Huh?" I asked, around the mouthful of food I had.

"From the readings, don't you think that operant conditioning at its most basic level is symbolic of the –" I lifted a hand up to cut him off and finished swallowing my food.

"Dude, I didn't do the reading," I said. "Besides, the professor is just going to lecture on the same topic today so it's basically pointless to read the chapter," I explained and took another bite.

"Kevin! How profane!" He said, looking genuinely shocked. I raised an eyebrow at him and swallowed the food I had been chewing.

"Double Dee, I'm not burning crosses over here. I just don't have much time to spare on redundant things. I've got daily practices with a game this weekend along with all my other classes. So if I can save time by skipping homework and just paying attention in class, or vice versa, then that's what I'll do," I said before taking several gulps of water.

"I understand the temptation to save time and effort regarding academic learning," he said. "But truly, to better one's learning experience, once should partake in all assigned readings and schoolwork," he said, pressing his issue more. I felt an eyebrow twitch in annoyance.

"Not everyone likes learning as much as you do, Dweeb," I said before popping the last bite of the sandwich into my mouth and brushing the crumbs of my pants. He frowned, looking slightly miffed. Kid was dense sometimes; he didn't realize that he was one of very few people who took pleasure in learning anything and everything. Still, he didn't deserve to wear that beat up look he had currently. "Cheer up, dude. If you see someone slacking off, just remind yourself that they'll be in debt for the rest of their lives while you get to go to school for free," I offered. He looked back up at me.

"Even if the individual slacking off is you?" He questioned, a slight smile returning to his face.

"Especially if it's me. Hell, you can even gloat to my face if that'll make you feel better," I replied before downing my water.

"Perhaps I shall," he said, grinning. His smile dropped suddenly as he gave me his chiding look. "Language, Kevin." I gave him a flat expression.

"Let's just get to class, dork." He glanced down at his watch.

"Oh dear! It is nearing 12:30. I must've lost track of time!" He hastily began packing all his gear into his bag. I slung my bag back onto my shoulder and gathered my trash in one hand. I tossed it into a garbage bin nearby as Edd hurried to my side. I quirked an eyebrow at him, but he didn't appear to notice. _I guess we're walking together, then._ I shrugged - he did let me sit next to him at lunch.

"Hey, thanks for letting me sit with you during lunch. Definitely beats sitting on the ground," I said.

"My pleasure, Kevin!" He said, smiling. I felt myself smile as well. _Dork had always been nice. If he hadn't been friends with Eddy, I might've actually been friends with him in high school._ I thought about what a friendship between us would've looked like for a second. _Nah, we wouldn't have gotten along. We're into way different things._ And yet, here I was walking with him to class. It could've been because he was a familiar face…but I doubted it. _Who knows_ , I thought to myself, _maybe the dweeb and I could be friends after all._


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: This chapter skips ahead quite a bit because I'm trying to show the passage of time. I didn't want any relationships to progress too quickly too soon. I want them to develop over time but still keep content interesting.**

 **~Stay Beautiful~**

Chapter 3

Fall Semester

Freshman Year

Farplex Apartments

-Midterms-

I groaned as I rubbed my hands over my face. None of the material I was studying was sticking. That and my notes were a little less than copious. I sighed as I closed the notebook, needing a break. I stood up and stretched, feeling my hip pop. I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was around 6:00 pm. _Probably should go get some dinner._ I was half tempted to text Nat if he wanted to go get a pizza or something and study together afterwards but I'm afraid I wouldn't get much studying done if I invited the teal-haired punk along. I decided I would just get a slice to go or something and finish studying alone.

As I walked out the apartment complex and to the parking lot, I thought about Curtis' offer to head to a party of his after midterms. Curtis, the team quarterback, was a senior in a fraternity of Delta Moo Foo something or other. I never really paid attention to the fraternity hype. Anyhow, he had invited me along with several other team members to come over after our game on Friday. He said the main reason was to blow off steam after our exams but also to celebrate our more than likely win. We were facing the Streetsboro Swallows. And there were _plenty_ of jokes to be made about not the only their name but how terrible the team was. They were 0-5 this season already and have lost to teams we've already beaten. None of us were too worried about this match. I was stoked that I was invited to my first party – Nat and I were two of only three freshmen asked to come – but was still unsure if I really wanted to go. I had a couple days to decide so I had time to think it over.

I made a left turn to pull into a local pizza place. I've learned from personal experience that is was way better than any pizza chain around. I turned my bike off and strapped my helmet onto the handle. I dismounted from the bike and made my way inside. It wasn't too busy, being Sunday night, but there was still a decent line. I took my place behind a brunette who was on her phone. I was debating what I wanted when the brunette in front of me dropped her phone. The person in front of her moved their foot backwards, knocking her phone back my way. I stuck my foot out to stop the phone from going further and bent to pick it up as the person who kicked the phone profusely apologized. The girl waved her hand, claiming she had a good case on it and turned back to look for her phone. I smiled at her and held it out towards her.

"Here," I said, and she looked up at me. She had light brown hair that curled around her face and green eyes. She looked at the phone and smiled back. _She's cute…_

"Oh thank you!" She took her phone from my hands.

"Try not to play soccer with it too much," I joked and she laughed, somewhat embarrassed.

"You know, I was just bored standing here in line. I figured I'd start a little match," she said sarcastically. I grinned.

"You seemed pretty busy on that phone to be too bored. You talking to your boyfriend?" I asked. And she rolled her eyes.

"Ha, ha," she teased and smiled knowingly. "No, I was texting my friend to see what she wanted on her pizza. We're studying for midterms together," she told me. We both took a step forward as someone finished placing their order.

"Rad. You a freshman?" And that sparked a conversation between the two of us. I found out she was actually a sophomore studying biology. She had no idea what she was going to with the degree, which I thought was a complete waste, but she appeared to really like the subject. When it was her turn to order, I offered to pay for her and her friend. She smiled cutely and thanked me.

We chatted as we both waited for our order to be done. Before she left, she grabbed a marker from her purse and scribbled her number onto my arm.

"Text me sometime, mkay?" she asked. I grinned.

"Just as long as your phone isn't broken by then," I teased. She laughed and rolled her eyes before picking up her order and leaving, giving me a wink as she left. I grinned to myself as I picked up my own pizza box and headed back to my place.

-Monday-

Farplex Apartments

I slapped the snooze button my blaring alarm in annoyance. I had studied so much last night that I wasn't sure if my brain was able to do anything more challenging than moving my arm to hit 'snooze.' I rolled onto my back and passed back out. Seven minutes later my alarm went off again. I groaned, not wanting to move but should probably get up. I rolled onto my side to hit the alarm. _Ah, fuck it. Snooze._ I lazily slapped the blaring contraction until it shut up. I planted my face into my pillow and let myself go to back to sleep…at least for seven more minutes.

I woke up a little bit later, surprised that I had woken up before the alarm went of again. I sat up and stretched feeling oddly well rested and quite hungry. When I turned to look at my clock, I saw why. _HOLY SHIT IT'S 12:05!?_

I shot out of my bed and to my closet. I threw on the closest pair of pants and the first shirt I could grab. I ducked into the bathroom to hastily brush my teeth and rub on some deodorant. I heard my stomach growl as I was finishing brushing my teeth. _You dumb fuck, why didn't you wake me up for food sooner?!_ I grumbled as I spat and rinsed. I wiped my mouth on my sleeve, tossing my toothbrush haphazardly onto the counter. I grabbed my hat on my way out to kitchen, putting it on and twisting it backwards. I made sure to shove my notes into my bag before grabbing my keys and leaving in a rush.

I ran to my bike and jumped onto it, quickly kicking it to life. I hastily put my helmet on over my hat. I sped my way through the lunch traffic, parking my bike in the closest spot I could find. I checked my phone as I made my way to the psychology building. 12:18… I had some time but I booked it regardless.

I slowed down once I reached the building and made my way to the classroom, catching my breath. When I entered the lecture hall, I saw that nearly every seat was filled. _Damn. I didn't realize we had this many people in our class. I don't think I've seen half of these people._ I scanned the room for Nat, hoping his oddly colored hair would stand out. I saw him at the very front of the room - and he had a book bag in the seat next to him. _My man…_ I thought as I made my way down the aisle. I noticed as I neared that the empty seat was between Nat and…

"Hey Double Dee," I said as I turned the corner of the aisle. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Salutations Kevin!" I smiled at him and Nat looked up at the sound of my voice.

"You're late, bro," Nat said, moving his bag. I fist bumped him, thanking him for saving me a seat. "Eh, you'd do the same."

"Damn straight," I said as I sat down and he grinned.

"There's no need for language, Kevin," I heard an admonishing voice behind me. I turned to face the dork, giving him a look. Thanks to the tight proximity the lecture hall allowed between each chair, that proximity being little to no personal space, we were so close that I could smell him and my elbow had bumped him as I shifted to turn to him. He frowned as I stared at him.

"So uh," Nat interjected. "You two must know each other," he said. I lifted ay eyebrow at Edd, as he began to squirm under my gaze. I turned back to Nat, a small smile on my face.

"Nat, this is Double Dee. Double Dee...Nat," I told him. Nat wiggled his fingers at Double Dee, who greeted Nat formally. "We grew up in the same neighborhood," I explained to the green-haired man.

"Ohh, boy next door?" He teased, quietly enough where I don't think Edd heard him. I shot him a loaded look anyways.

"Indeed. Why, we've been the same school since 4th grade," Edd said, evidently not hearing Nat's comment. Nat leaned forward on his little pulled out desk to glance over at Edd, chin in hand, smiling at Double Dee.

"Fourth grade, wow. And now even in the same college?" Nat asked, shooting a glance at me. "That's adorable that you two planned to stay together through college." I shot Nat a warning look, knowing that the man could be ruthless in these situations.

"On the contrary, it was in fact a matter of complete coincidence we ended up attending the same university. Kevin and I were mere acquaintances growing up," Double Dee explained, clearly missing out on Nat's suggestive comments for which I was extremely grateful. But something he said bugged me. I looked over at Edd who was smiling over at Nat. I frowned at Double Dee. When he met my gaze and he gave me a confused look.

"Acquaintances is sugar coating what we were Edd," I said in a strangely soft voice. I was infamously known for my temper in middle school and even high school. I had had little patience with Eddy and all his scamming bullshit throughout middle school and unfortunately Double Dee and even Ed got caught up in that more often than not. I thought a lot about how I acted in middle school and let's just say I wasn't a fan of how I treated some people. I've grown up a lot since then but it still bugged me every now and then. Especially now, seeing Edd in a sorta different light now and to hear him saying we were acquaintances, when really I was his childhood bully. Edd gave me a startled look, and I could see him start to become nervous.

"W-Well, let's let bygones be bygones shall we?" He sputtered, looking anywhere but at me. Just then the professor walked in carrying a big stack of papers. I reluctantly shifted my focus to her.

"Sorry I'm late everyone," she announced. "I know you'd rather get this exam over with." She put the papers down on the desk and looked up. "Ah, so this is actually how many people are taking my class. Nice to finally see some of you," she said sarcastically and there was a slight murmur of laughter throughout the room. She grinned and with that began passing out our midterms.

Barely 20 minutes into taking the exam, Edd stood up and turned in his paper How in the world he answered all 50 questions in that amount of time was beyond me. I was only about halfway done and I thought I had been making good time. The professor thanked Edd, seemingly unsurprised that he was the first done. She told him to have a good rest of the day and good luck with the rest of his midterms. He thanked her back in that fancy language he possessed and made his way out of the lecture hall.

About 15 minutes later, I finished up my exam. I took my exam up to the professor and handed it to her. She smiled and thanked me. I flashed her a quick smile back before leaving.

As I exited the building, I heard Nat's laugh nearby. _I didn't expect him to wait up for me._ Nat had finished several minutes before me. As I turned the corner of the building, I saw that he really didn't wait for me.

"So that's what little Kevin was like as a tike," Nat snickered and the dork sitting next to him covered his mouth as he laughed. I cleared my throat and they both stopped laughing to turn and look at me. Nat was biting his lip, trying not to laugh and Double Dee looked guilty. I gave them both a dry look.

"My apologies, Kevin," I heard Double Dee mumble and Nat snickered.

"Whatever," I said as I began to walk away. I saw Nat hop up and make his way to me, jogging.

"Holdup, cowboy," he said, grabbing me by the shoulder. I looked over at him, eyebrow raised. "Blue eyes was waiting up for you," he said, smiling. I gave him a dubious look, waiting for him to tease and/or mock me. His smile remained genuine. "Go talk to him. I'll catch ya later," he said, holding out a fist for me. Confused as to why Edd would want to talk to me, I tapped my knuckles onto Nat's fist before he bounded away, calling out a goodbye to Double Dee. I turned back to face the dork sitting on the bench. He looked quite anxious, both hands gripping onto the knees of his khakis and his black shoes angled towards one another. The gray sweater seemed to swallow his tiny frame up, making him look meek and the blue collar poking out the collar of the sweater made him look like more of a dork than usual. And that hat - seriously, did he sleep in that thing? I sighed before walking over to him.

"Sup?" I asked when I stood in front of him. He clasped his hands together and I noticed him fidgeting ever so slightly.

"Greetings, Kevin. How did your examination proceed?" I gave him a look.

"What did you want to talk about, dork?" I asked, cutting straight to the point. He nodded, looking everywhere but at me.

"Y-yes, of course. I'm sure you have other places to be. I simply wanted to ask a clarifying question from our conversation with Nathan earlier," he said and shyly looked up at me. I gave him an impatient look.

"Go on," I said. I was actually curious as to what the dork had to say but I didn't let it show. He rarely ever approached me, even in high school. We had talked here and there but those conversation were never planned. We'd just happen upon each other in class or in the hallway.

"What exactly did you mean when you said I was "sugarcoating" what we were, Kevin?" He asked, using air quotes. I felt my eyebrows lift up in slight surprise that this is what he wanted to talk about.

"I meant what I said. We weren't "mere acquaintances" like you put it," I said, mimicking his air quotes. "That sounds rather gentle than what I was, don't you think?" I asked, putting my left hand into the pocket of my jeans.

"You were rather harsh in our younger years, especially in elementary school and middle school; however you became less hostile in high school and dare I say, even friendly," he said, a small smile on his face. I gave him a confused look, trying to figure out his angle.

"Why are you even bringing this up? Shouldn't you be pissed at me or something?" I know I would've been mad - maybe even livid - at someone who bullied me as a kid.

"I hold no grudges from our past, Kevin. I understand that my friends and I were obnoxious at times and that caused you to be aggressive towards us. I'm not saying how you reacted was right but I'm merely stating that I bode no ill-will towards you. I sensed that you were...upset about me calling us acquaintances, " he said, looking off again.

"Not upset...just didn't think that was accurate," I stated simply. I moved to sit next to him on the bench, letting my bag slid down to the ground. "But thanks Double Dee," I said. "It's kinda rad to hear I didn't leave any permanent damage or somethin,'"I mumbled jokingly and he laughed slightly. I smiled at him.

"You are very welcome, Kevin," He responded. We sat there in somewhat awkward silence for a few moments. "Kevin…" he started tentatively, "...I um…" He tapped two fingers together,looking down at his hands. "I wonder if we could be...friends," he said very quietly. "You and I have had our differences but I feel as if I am seeing a new side of you that is quite pleasant. I can't help but think we've started off on the wrong foot," he said. I looked over at him, surprised to hear the kid speaking from the heart. It made me slightly uncomfortable but I didn't let it show.

"Yeah man, I've thought that a time or two myself," I said bringing my arms behind my head and lacing my fingers together.

"R-really?" I heard him ask. I gave him a look out of the corner of my eye.

"Why would I lie? The past couple times we've talked or walked together to class were pretty rad. You're a complete brainiac and half the things you say fly over my head but you're cool to talk to, I guess," I admitted, becoming embarrassed myself. I didn't do well with talking about this kind of stuff but Double Dee was being honest with me - I could be honest too.

"How splendid!" He exclaimed and I could register his smile out of the corner of my eyes. "Well, I look forward to developing our friendship," he said in that cheery tone of his. I turned my head to see him looking at me, his blue eyes happy and his smile revealing the gap between his teeth.

"Ditto," I said before I clapped a hand on his knee, maybe a bit too harshly judging by his startled reaction. I just looked at him with an eyebrow lifted in question, keeping my hand on his knee.

"You okay?" I asked him, keeping my hand on his knee. I noticed his gaze shift from my hand then to my face and back again.

"Y-yes, quite well," he said and cleared his throat. "I was not expecting such a sudden gesture," he mumbled. I slowly moved my hand from his knee and shrugged.

"Yeah, I tend to do that sometimes, which you'll find out as you get to know me better," I said before grabbing my bag and standing up, stretching my legs and arms. I heard him laugh and he too grabbed his messenger bag before standing up,

"I am quite looking forward to that," he said, smiling. I returned the smile.

"You hungry? I woke up late and haven't eaten anything today," I said as we both stepped off towards the student center.

"I could use some nourishment before I continue with my studies," he said, grabbing onto the strap of his bag with both hands.

"Cool."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I do not condone under age drinking! Please be responsible!**

Chapter 4

Fall Semester

Freshman Year

Edinburgh Football Stadium

I was in the locker room getting ready for the game with Nat and Andy the following Friday night. Midterms had been a pain but they were over with, finally. I was putting my leg pads into my pants, getting reading to put them on. Nat had already put his pants on and was messing with his shoulder pads, trying to get them straight before putting them on.

"This game is gunna be a joke," Andy commented from beside me. I heard him rustling with his gear, as were several other players around us. I looked over at him, sitting a little ways down from me on the bench. He was putting the protective pads into his pants as well.

Andy was a junior this year and was one of the running backs along with Nat. Both men were slim in nature but were great sprinters. Andy was in an engineering major and was in the same fraternity as Curtis. He and I had become fast friends, along with Nat, the past couple of weeks. The three of us met up one time after our Psych class and we'd hit it off. He was the one that suggested to Curtis that Nat and I be invited to join us. Andy was a pretty tall dude, taller than me. He had brown hair that he wore short and dark brown eyes and had skin slightly tanner than mine. He was muscular for sure, but was slimmer than I was. I looked away suddenly when I found I had been looking a bit longer than I should've been. I stood up and removed my jeans to begin putting on my pants, tying them securely into place. I began putting on my other protective gear, saving my helmet and gloves for last. Coach called us to the field to do some warm ups. I chatted with Nat idly as we made our way to the field. This was our third home game; the other two had been away games. We had another away game coming up next week.

"You going to the party tonight?" Nat asked me as we started warm-ups with some lunges down the field. The other team was on the other half of the field, warming up as well.

"Thinking about it. You?" I asked as finished our set.

"Definitely going," he said. "I'm hoping to meet a real cutie," he said and I could see him wiggling his eyebrows through his helmet. I laughed as we began doing other stretches.

"If we win, I'll come out to celebrate," I said. I heard Nat make a sound.

"What else are you going to be doing man? Oh, that's right. Nothing but playing video games," he said and I shot him a look. "Dude, just come on out and a have a drink or two. Who knows, maybe you'll end up seeing that cute girl from the pizza place," he said and I rolled my eyes. I had told him about pizza place girl. I hadn't texted her yet, for some reason.

"If I go, will you shut up?" I asked, slightly annoyed. He laughed.

"Glad to hear you'll make it after all," he quipped and I grunted. Dude had a point though – I really wasn't planning on doing anything else.

As we finished up our warms-ups, we headed back to the locker room to go over last minute plays.

We ended up winning the game, as expected. After a little post game rowdiness in the locker room, people starting taking off to go prepare for Curtis' party. I told Nat I'd see him at the party.

"I better see you there," he said. "Or I'll take someone home to your place just to spite you," he threatened. I laughed and waved him off. He didn't even know where I lived…I think.

I made my way home and ate some leftovers in the fridge. After fueling up, I showered and started to get ready for the party. I put forth about as much effort in my looks for tonight as I did any other night. My orange hair was short so there was no need to mess with it. I wore some jeans but switching it up by wearing gray instead of the typical blue. I wore a dark green t-shirt with my black jacket over top of it and put my hat on backwards. I grabbed my keys and was out the door.

-10 Minutes later-

Edinburgh Greek Village

I ended up putting my bike between two clumsily parked cars in the parking lot behind the frat house. I slipped my keys into an inside pocket of my jacket, not wanting them to get lost. I made sure my phone was still tucked into my back pocket and made my way to house with the loud music and people littering the yard.

I entered the house, scanning the crowd for someone I knew. There were a lot of upperclassmen here from the looks of it. That didn't surprise me too much, seeing as this was a senior's party. I saw Andy on the other side of the room laughing with some friends. I passed by him and smacked a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at me and smiled once he recognized me.

"Hey, man! Glad you made it," he said. We clasped hands.

"Yeah, thank Nat. He practically threatened me to come," I said, still slightly annoyed with him. Andy laughed and took a sip of his drink.

"Sounds like 'em," he said. He introduced to me to the guys he was talking with. "This is Kevin, our tailback," he explained to the guys. "Pretty awesome position for a freshman," he said. I shook hands with the three of them as Andy introduced them – Mike, Anthony, and Stephen.

"Hey man, I was at the game," one of the guys – Mike – said. You were the one with the 20 yard gain, right?" I nodded.

"They made it too easy. The practically gave me a runway," I said and the other four men laughed.

"Did I hear, runway?" a familiar voice asked as an arm was slung around my shoulders. I looked see Nat with one arm around my shoulders and the other placed flirtatiously on his hip. Once all eyes were on him, he ran a hand through her oddly colored hair. "I simply dominate the runway," he mocked in a prissy voice and I couldn't help but snicker. I elbowed him and he grinned at me.

"The hell are you?" asked one of Andy's friends – Mike.

Nat was infamous for flirting with anything and everything human that moved and breathed. He told me once while we were hanging out that he had no sexual preference when it came to gender or gender identity. When I asked what the hell that meant, his exact words were. 'I'll sleep with anyone.' I had teased him saying, 'All those possibilities and still no one wants to get in your pants.' He had given me some sort of sassy comeback. But there was one type of people Nathan Goldberg continuously and aggressively flirted with – and those people were homophobes.

"Your wildest fantasy come to life," Nat said while batting his eyelashes and blew Mike a kiss. Mike made a disgusted face.

"Who invited the damn fag?' He shouted, drawing several eyes towards him. Anthony, who was standing beside him, laughed like a fucking douche. I balled one of my hands into a fist. Andy glared at Mike, but said nothing else. I started to say something but Nat held me back with the arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"Oooooh, you're cute when you're mad," Nat said, putting his hand back on his hip, smirking.

"You fucking stay away from me, you queer," Mike said, pointing his finger at Nat. Andy finally spoke up.

"Mike, don't start shit bro. He's just messing with you," he said. I looked at Andy, not sure if I was happy he spoke up at all or not. Mike motioned for Anthony and they both turned to leave.

"Mm. I love to watch 'em leave," he said, being very obvious as to what he was eyeing.

"You just don't turn off, do you?" I asked, glancing at the man standing close to me.

"What? I think he really liked me," Nat pulling a "serious" face. "He was just playing hard-to-get." I rolled my eyes.

"You're gunna get decked one of these days, dude," I mumbled.

"Hey, sorry about those guys," the third guy spoke up. I noticed he, Stephen, had been looking off to the floor during the fiasco. "They're dumbasses," he said.

"'Tis a shame too," Nat said. "They were cute." And just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared back into the party. I watched Andy give me a meek look before walking off in Nat's direction.

"I need a drink," I mumbled. Stephen, who had remained standing there glanced at me. "Comin'?" He smiled and stepped over to me.

I got some beer from the keg while Stephen rooted around to make a mixed drink. Once we had drinks in hand, we made our way back to the party where a bunch of people was dancing. The music was kinda loud so I didn't bother talking to Stephen at all. We both just sipped on our drinks. I felt Stephen tug on my jacket sleeve and nod his head in a separate direction. We moved to the dining room where there was some ruckus. Stephen called out to the guy who was apparently in charge. I got a glimpse at the table and saw that flip cup was being set up. _Nice,_ I thought, _something competitive._

"I signed us up," Stephen said once he finished talking to the guy. "Hope that's cool."

"Yeah man," I said and held up a fist for him. He tapped his knuckles onto mine. "Beats just standing around," I said and he laughed.

We ended up standing across from one another on separate teams. We were both in the middle of a very crowded table. I was bumping shoulders with two random people. The girl next to me was obviously plastered. I wasn't sure she could stand straight. I had to move my hand a time or two to steady her and prevent her from falling backwards. The dude next to me was obscenely loud and way into the game. I mean I'm competitive, but geez.

As the game began, I found myself getting stoked. I ended up cheering along with the loud mouth standing next to me. I was insanely impressed when the drunk girl beside me downed her drink in only a few gulps and even managed to flip her cup in only a few tries. Stephen and I somehow ended up being pinned against each other. We both started chugging the crappy beer at the same time. I finished slightly before he did, and flipped my cup on the first try. Energetic dude beside me slapped me on the back really freaking hard before taking his turn. I turned to Stephen who had just flipped his cup, looking miffed. I pointed and laughed and he flicked me off before laughing. I grinned before turning back to watch my team win.

I played another game before moving on, waving goodbye to Stephen. I walked around for a bit, grabbing another beer and making a lap around the house. I saw Nat with some girl hanging onto to his arm, giggling. He winked at me as I passed by. I shook my head at him, grinning.

A guy offered me some weed as I walked towards the back of the house, but I passed. I had smoked it a time or two in high school with some buddies and wasn't all that crazy about it. That, and Nazz caught me one day and yelled at me something fierce. Nazz was normally a super chill person but as I found out that day, she had zero tolerance for drugs. Her dad had apparently left her and her mom at a young age to deal and since then, she refused to be friends with anyone who used it. I had almost lost her that day but we ended up working it out. I promised her I would never touch the stuff again and to this day I kept that promise. She meant too much for me to fuck with it again. Speaking of which, I should text her. It's been a couple days since I last talked to her.

I was standing on the edge of the dance floor as I was reaching for my phone in my back pocket when a girl grabbed me by the arm. I looked at her and she just smiled at me before pulling me into the fray. Normally I was the cool guy standing with my back to the wall, but I had had a couple of drinks so I decided to dance around a bit. The girl who had pulled me in threw her arms over my shoulders. I smirked and put a hand to her hip, still holding my drink in the other. We swayed to the beat of the pop song, my hand being moved around as she twisted her hips. I moved my body in sync with her, and she was grinning at me.

"You dance waaaaaaay better than most dudes." She had to yell into my ear in order for me to hear her. I shrugged as I brought her closer. I felt her hips bump into mine and I could see her smile seductively. It was slightly awkward balancing my cup in one hand and holding the dancing female in the other but I managed not to spill too much of my drink. A little bit later the girl threw her head up and kissed me passionately. I welcomed it as I moved my free hands to her butt. She giggled before kissing me again. I felt myself getting pretty turned on and couldn't help but wonder if we should duck out.

I felt someone grab my shoulder and yank me away from kissing the girl. It was Stephen. I was about to go off on him when he took the cup from my hand and spilled it onto the ground, making eye contact with the girl. She looked guilty for a split second before darting off into the crowd. I looked back at Stephen.

"Spiked," was all he said. I didn't even really hear him, just read his lips. I frowned and sneered in the direction the girl took off. I exited the dance floor with Stephen, moving to a quieter section of the house.

"Thanks," I said, leaning against a wall. It was first fucking party and I managed to nearly get date raped. "It's beyond me why she felt the need to drug me. She was doing just fine without it," I mumbled, angry with myself for not catching it. Stephen bumped me with his elbow.

"Don't beat yourself up. It's your first party, you didn't know better. I'm just glad I was watching you and noticed her drop something into your cup, or else she might of gotten away with it," he said. I looked over at him.

"You were watching me?" I asked. He looked over at me, and I could see him falter a little bit.

"Uh, yeah dude. I uh…" he looked just as guilty as the girl had.

"You're gay, aren't you?" I asked him outright. He looked caught, and nodded his head meekly. "I kind of figured. Why do you hang out with fucks like Mike and Anthony then?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I'm not really out yet. They don't say anything unless they're encountered, like with Nathan," he said, giving excuses. I shook my head.

"Nat may be a bit much, but he doesn't hide what he is." I looked at Stephen. "And neither should you," I said, being completely sincere. Stephen looked at me earnestly for a few brief moments. Then he suddenly leaned forward and kissed me. I was slightly shocked...but not repulsed. He pulled back quickly though. I just looked at him, completely surprised.

"Thank you," he said. He took a deep breath and I could tell he was starting to get a bit emotional. "I've been struggling with this for a while," he admitted. I could only assume he meant struggling with hiding. "My parents are strictly against gay marriage and I can somehow only make friends with people like Mike and Anthony." He looked away, rubbing his arm. I kinda felt bad for him.

"That's rough, man. Sorry," I said, still slightly thrown that a guy full force kissed me. I rubbed the back of my head. "Nat's cool. And you could hang out Andy. He doesn't seem to have a problem with gay men before. I mean, he puts up with Nat on a daily basis," I joked. Stephen laughed and wiped his cheek on his shoulder.

"Nat does seem awesome. But dude doesn't stand still, I barely get a chance to say hi," he said. I laughed and nodded.

"That's Nat," I said.

"But I can't hang out with Andy," he admitted, becoming shy again. I took in his expression for a moment.

"You like him," I stated. He nodded, as though I had asked him.

"He's just so…" he struggled for words. He smiled shyly and shrugged. "I don't know. He just gets to me. I mean, I've liked other guys before. And I still find other men attractive - I mean I thought you...well...never mind. I don't want to make this anymore awkward," he said, looking away from me.

"Nah. Say it," I said. _If you knew Nat you'd have a different definition of awkward. S_ tephen gave me a small smile.

"I found you very good looking. But it's there for a minute before I'm circling back to Andy. It pisses me off to no end but I can't help it. Something about him just...sticks with me." Stephen turned to look at me. "Have you ever experienced that?" I didn't really understand what he meant, but I shook my head.

"Nah," I said. He gave me a sad look.

"If you do, I hope it's with someone who is capable of liking you back. It sucks having to watch him bounce from girl to girl," he said. "He's straight, I know he is. But I wish he wasn't." I watched him as he looked at the ground, looking absolutely miserable. I looked up and saw Mike and Anthony making their way towards us, cackling about something. I felt anger boil in me at the sight of them.

"Stephen," I said. He looked up at me. I nodded over at the duo and he looked up as well. They noticed him and waved. He waved back meekly. "You really want to stay friends with them, despite knowing how they feel about gay people?" I asked. He looked back at me, thinking about it. He eventually shook his head no. I watched Mike and Anthony approach us. "You sure?" I asked keeping my eyes trained on the two homophobes. He nodded, giving me a confused look. Just as Mike and Anthony reached us and were about to say something, I leaned back into Stephen giving him a full-fledged kiss, tongue and all. After a split second of shock, Stephen kissed me back. Mike made a noise and I heard a girl squeal nearby before giggling.

After pulling part from Stephen I winked at him and pushed off the wall. I then turned my attention to Mike who had already begun swearing and yelling obscenities. I took two steps forward before winding back and decking him square in the nose. I heard a couple girls scream, Stephen gasp and several others around us exclaim. Mike fell to the ground, clutching both hands to his nose and I watched some blood escape through his fingers as some people rushed over to see what was happening. I shot Anthony a look, who merely stepped back, looking terrified as Mike moaned over his nose that was probably broken. I shook my hand out, feeling a slight sting from the contact and walked off, ignoring the questions. I ended up leaving after the debacle, no longer buzzed and annoyed with the loud music and dumb people.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I've been doing my best regarding research of sports and whatnot. I enjoying watching them, but there's so much more detail that goes into playing and knowing how the team dynamic works! Sorry for any inaccurate info! .**

 **~Stay Beautiful**

Chapter 5

Fall Semester

Freshman Year

Edinburgh University

I was sitting in the back of the lecture hall Monday afternoon, listening to the psychology professor talk about Freud and his fucked up mind. I was actually paying attention, weirdly intrigued by this dude. Nat was sitting next to me, sprawled out and snoring. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he sleeping in class. The professor had taken one look at him and sighed before continuing with her lecture.

I jotted down a few notes here and there, trying to drone out the obnoxious snoring next to me. I soon lost interest though and started doodling on my paper. I sighed and put my pen down a few sketches later. I had officially lost all interest in being in this class. I had little care on how people thought the human brain worked. I just wanted class to be over so Nat and I could head out to practice some baseball. Tryouts were this week and I was anxious to get them over with. Nat was trying out for shortstop and I was going big and trying for the pitcher's position. I really hoped to be a pitcher; I was good in other positions but I excelled in pitching – at least that's what I've been told. I thought about how cool it would be if I were to be pitcher _and_ quarterback next year. _That'd be totally rad. Probably make a name for myself in the athletic community…well, at the college level I guess._ I mentally shrugged the thought away. I wasn't going to worry about it too much for now. I was just gunna focus on making pitcher first.

I looked at the time on my phone. _Still have a half hour of class._ I resisted the urge to groan out loud and settled for leaning my head on the back of my chair. My phone buzzed and, thankful for the distraction, I immediately took it out of my pocket. It was a text message from Nazz.

Nazz:

"Hey dude, good luck with tryouts this week! You'll kill it. Make sure you call this weekend."

I quickly texted her back.

Kev:

"Thanks Nazz. I will. How's Rolf?"

A few seconds went by before my phone buzzed again.

Nazz:

"Pretty stoked, dude. His family is coming in around Thanksgiving. Apparently his country has a celebration feast around the same time as us."

I smiled, remembering Rolf did celebrate some weird holiday around Thanksgiving. I remember him telling me about it once before he invited me to join his family for a fuller experience of the weird holiday. I declined...just hearing about it was more than enough experience for me.

Kev:

"He talkin' in weird lingo about it already?"

Nazz:

"More than usual!"

I grinned as I imagined him going on one of his little tangents about the home country. He never quite grew out of that. It was less frequent in high school...but Rolf wouldn't be Rolf if he didn't have his weird mannerisms. I missed the guy.

Nazz:

"Speaking of which, you're coming back for Thanksgiving break, right?"

Kev:

"Yup. Gunna rent a car to drive down there so I can take my car back."

I had a car in addition to my motorcycle. It was anything flashy like my bike – which had cost me a pretty penny. But I worked for my uncle since I was about 14; he owned an auto shop. Throughout my freshman, sophomore and junior years, he and I fixed up an '03 Ford Mustang – not the sweetest ride in the world, but it wasn't a Honda. Plus, fixing it up and making it my own was kinda rad.

Nazz:

"Sweet! I can't wait to hang out and hear about all the wild parties you've been too. ;) I know how much a party animal you are!"

I laughed as I recalled a few parties we had been too. I may have gotten a little wild once or twice...

Kev:

"Hey, I remember you were pretty crazy yourself at a party or two senior year. And let's not forget about that one instance…"

Nazz:

"OMG. Kevin – do NOT bring that up."

Kev:

"Let me buy you some Crown when I come home next."

Nazz:

"I hate you dude..."

I snickered quietly, amused at how embarrassed Nazz got when I brought up her less than glorious moment last year. I texted back that I was in class so I'd talk to her later. She sent me back an angry face, obviously still miffed, and I laughed quietly again. I locked my phone before tucking it into my pocket. I let my head rest on the back of my chair once more and decided to stare at the ceiling for the remaining 20 minutes of class…

I had been dozing slightly when I heard the Double Dork speak up. I rubbed my eyes and wondered how the hell anyone could be as alert as he was throughout an entire lecture. I was watching the back of his head as he asked the professor a clarifying question, when thoughts of Thanksgiving break popped into my head. _I wonder if he's going home for Thanksgiving too…_ I thought. He probably was. Most people left to be with their families unless they lived far away. Peach Creek was pretty far off – about a 6 hour drive - but that was still manage if you had a vehicle. I looked back down at the dork. _I wonder if he'd need a ride. I don't think he has a car…does he?_ I tried to remember if I even seen him drive one. I think he did in high school but I really wasn't sure. I had never really paid much attention to him back then. _Wouldn't hurt to ask if he needed a ride. Plus I could offer him a ride in exchange for some gas money – that'd help with the rental car bill._ I decided I'd talk to him next week and see what his plans were. _Wouldn't want him to miss out on seeing his family._

After answering Double Dee's question, the professor dismissed class, announcing she'd finish grading our midterms this week. I started to pack my stuff up when I looked over at Nat, who was still sleeping. I blinked at him for a few moments, waiting to see if he'd walk up on his own before smacking him in the face with my journal. He startled awake.

"Wh-Wha..?!" He looked around the room as he fixed his hair. "What happened?" I snickered at him.

"Class is over dude," I said as I stood up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "You can stop drooling on yourself now," I said as I left him at his seat to exit the lecture hall. I stopped just outside the building to check my phone. Rolf had left me a voicemail, so I stopped and listened to it real quick. As Nazz had told me, he was rambling in his odd ways about the feast and his family visiting. I chuckled at his enthusiasm, leaning against the building wall as my classmates poured out of the building, including Nat who gave me a high-five as he said he was going to eat then meet me at the baseball fields for practice. I gave him a thumbs up as I continued to listen to Rolf's drabble on. I smiled when I heard him say that he wanted to know when I was coming home to visit. _I miss you too, buddy._ Once the message one done, I sent him a text saying I'd call him tonight or tomorrow then I tucked my phone in my pocket. _Guess I should fuel up before practice myself._

"Hey Kev," I heard someone call out to me. I turned my head to see Andy walking up to me.

"Sup man?" I asked. I went for a fist bump, but put my hand down when I saw Andy not returning the gesture, frowning at me. I lifted a questioning eyebrow at his expression.

"So I heard about your little scene you made at the frat house," he said, rubbing his hands together. I gave him an unamused expression, not liking the direction this was going.

"What about it? You gunna sick Mike or Anthony on me?" I asked sarcastically, knowing I could take the bastards.

"No dude...just...you shouldn't pull shit like that," he said, putting his hands in his pockets and looking anywhere but me.

"Shouldn't pull shit like what? Sticking up for Stephen? Did you ever realize he was gay?" I asked, getting mildly annoyed off at Andy.

"No one did," he said. "Curtis got fucking pissed that you started a fight at the house, man. That's all I'm trying to say. Stephen should have said something to Mike in private. You didn't have to punch the dude," he said, looking annoyed like it was my fault that Mike and Anthony were such asshats. I felt myself grind my teeth together and I pushed myself off the wall to lean in closer to Andy.

"That was the only way to shut that prick up and you know it. Don't let Curtis, Mike or any other asshole make you fight their battles for them. If they have a problem with the way I handle things, they can settle it with _me,_ " I said as I narrowed my eyes at Andy, officially pissed. "As for Stephen, you should know he was fucking sick of being friends with homophobes and feeling like he had to hide what he was. I was just helping him out because I could tell he was scared," I said, pushing a finger into Andy's chest. "Like a real fucking friend would...not just slapping Mike on the wrist for his gay slurs," I sneered. Andy looked away from me, looking somewhat guilty. _Good - he fucking should feel guilty._

"Alright, I get your point Kevin. I don't have a problem with Stephen being gay, you know me, but people are really pissed at you fo-"

"I don't give a damn about who's pissed at me. No one should be have to be ridiculed by 'friends' like that - you know that and I know that. I showed Mike in the clearest way possible that Stephen was gay and that he wasn't allowed to say a damn thing about it," I said, pushing Andy away from me, done with this conversation. I stepped off and started heading towards the student center when I made eye contact with Double Dee. He had apparently been watching the encounter between Andy and I. As soon as we made eye contact he looked off. I ignore him mostly and kept walking, too heated to bother talking to another person. Apparently, the dork didn't pick up on that vibe...

"Kevin, wait!" I let out a harsh breath of air and stopped. I turned and waited for Double Dee to catch up to me. I could tell my face was unpleasant by the way the dweeb faltered as he got closer. I could be intimidating when I wanted to be. I tried to calm my expression a little bit, for his sake. He was easily frightened.

"Dweeb," I said in the most neutral voice I could manage, once he was stopped right beside me. He gave me a small smile and fidgeted with his messenger bag.

"Greetings, Kevin. May I presume you are headed towards the student center?" I lifted a questioning eyebrow. He gestured back toward the walkway. "May I accompany you on your walk?"

"Whatever," I said and started walking towards the student center once more, Double Dee walking at a brisk pace to keep up with my long strides.

"I merely wanted to apologize for eavesdropping," he mumbled. "I realize that must've been a private conversation and it was improper of me to listen in." I shrugged, peeking at him through the corner of my eye. He looked guilty for something he really shouldn't.

"If Andy wanted to have a private conversation, he'd picked a less public place," I said. "I don't care who overheard," I stated, putting my hands into my jacket pockets. We walked in silence for a few moments and I felt myself calming down from the encounter with Andy.

"I don't mean to pry…" he said, leaving his statement unfinished. Apparently he was looking for approval to talk about the topic.

"What's on your mind, dork?" I asked, smiling to myself. _Always so polite._

"I am immensely curious as to what elicited such a heated conversation between you and your football friend," he said. "Is everything alright?" I met his gaze, frowning down at him.

"You concerned about me?" I asked. I saw his eyes widen slightly and a small blush came across his face as he looked away.

"W-well, yes. I know we just recently became f-friends but I tend to worry about my friends if I sense there is trouble," he stammered. I chuckled quietly, facing forward again.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," I said. "Everything's fine, Double Dee. I have some people pissed at me because I did the right thing," I said. He remained silent, so I looked back at him and met his gaze once more. "I punched a homophobe for saying shit about a friend of mine," I said.

"Oh dear!" He exclaimed, eyes widening. "Such a rash decision!" I rolled my eyes.

"For you, Martha Stewart, maybe. But for me, that was the only way to get my message across," I said, giving him a look. "This idiots were dumb jocks like me, Double Dee. They weren't going to listen to a freshman like me telling them to get over their bigotry. So I took a more...aggressive rather than passive route." He frowned at first, but then his mouth slowly curved into a bit.

"You are hardly a dumb jock, Kevin. And while I don't agree with violence...that was kind of you, to defend your friend like that," he said. I looked away, feeling my face warm from the compliment.

"I guess," I said with a shrug. "I care about my friends too...Dork." I heard him laugh and I felt myself smile a little.

We approached the student center where various restaurants were located. I held one of the doors open for the dweeb to enter. He mumbled a thank you and entered. Double Dee and I fell into silence as we walked side-by-side towards the Hub, or the place with all the different restaurants and various tables to sit and eat or study. I wasn't sure if he was going to get lunch himself or came to the student center to study or something. I stopped and nudged him with an elbow. He looked up at me, his expression questioning.

"Wanna grab a bite?" I asked as I pointed to the university's cafe. Double Dee checked his watch then looked up at me.

"I would be delighted to!" He grinned widely, and I could see the gap between his teeth that he's had since we were kids.

"Rad," I said and smiled down at him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Fall Semester  
Freshman Year  
Edinburgh Student Center

I sat across a small table from Double Dee as we ate our lunches. We both ended up getting sandwiches from a little deli bar in the cafe and sat down by the smaller tables next to the windows. I had unwrapped my sandwich and dug right into it. Double Dee was a little more delicate, only unwrapping his sandwich partially, holding onto the wrapper on the bottom as he took small bites from the top of the sandwich. I watched him as I chewed as he took great lengths to not touch his food directly with his hands.

"You still weird about germs?" I asked as he took a sip of water. He gave me a look.

"I'd prefer the word 'conscious' rather than 'weird', Kevin," he said and I grinned. "But yes. The hands are simply filthy! There is extensive research on the cumulation of bacteria on one's hands in various settings and occupations. For instance…" I took another bite of my sandwich and tried to make sense of what the Dweeb was saying as he regurgitated research lingo on different types of microbacteria...and that's about all I got from his speech.

"Gotcha," was all I said once he finished, giving him a blank look. He sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face. "What?" I asked.

"I rambled on again," he said as he flicked a crumb off the table. "I tend to do that from time to time, still." He sighed again. "I've tried to break that habit...Eddy always hated when I did that," he said. I felt my eyebrow twitch at the mention of my childhood nemesis.

"I bet he was real shy about telling you that," I stated dryly. Double Dee laughed, covering his mouth with his hand as he set his sandwich down.

"Quite the contrary, as your sarcastic tone implied," he said. I smiled and took a swig of soda.

"He still a hothead?" I asked before popping the last bite if my sandwich into my mouth and dusting the crumbs off my fingers. Double Dee looked up at me.

"If I recall, you were quite a hothead yourself," he said, quirking an eyebrow at me. I gave him a neutral look and his lip twitched into a smile. "No, he has mellowed out quite a bit. He's actually planning on starting his own business after college." That actually surprised me.

"Wow. What's his business? Scamming children in the suburbans out of their allowances?" I asked as I opened the bag of chips and popped one into my mouth.

"Ha ha, mister. No, he's opening a loaning company for businesses. With a hefty investment from his brother, it sounds as if he's got a good start," he said, looking proud of his friend's achievements. Dork always had been a good friend to the two buffoons.

"Huh. Suits him, I suppose," I remarked as I ate another couple chips. Double Dee agreed before finishing his water. "What about Eyebrow?" I asked, earning myself a warning look from the Unibrow's protective friend. He had told me once in high school, on a particular day where I was mocking his friends, that he'd appreciate if I kept the rude nicknames to myself. That sentiment apparently still held true.

"He is currently working for the local construction company that his father manages," he explained. "He appears to enjoy the work. It's an upscaled version of Eddy's 'job' for him as kids," he said. I laughed a bit before fishing out another chip from the bag.

"Good for him," I said, speaking around the chip, earning myself a loaded look for speaking with my mouth full. "I bet he's real good at his job," I said around another full mouth, just to spite him. He showed me how much he appreciated that. I laughed to myself as I finished chewing and swallowed.

"How is Nazz?" I looked up at him and grinned.

"Why? You still crushing on her?" He rolled his eyes.

"I was well over my crush on her in middle school, Kevin. And that's a case of the pot calling the kettle black…" I had no idea what he meant by that. "...you held a torch Nazz for quite some time if I recall correctly." I scratched the side of my head, feeling my face warm up a bit.

"Yeah, I did," I mumbled. "Never did anything about it since we were such good friends," I admitted for some reason. I cleared my throat, embarrassed by the topic. "Anyways, Nazz is good. Going to the local university back in Peach Creek and living with her parents in the meantime."

"Splendid! What degree is she pursuing?"

"She's getting a bachelors in some type of communication degree. I'm not sure which one," I said and shrugged. "I think she wants to do PR work of some kind." I grabbed a small handful of chips as Double Dee seemed to think on that.

"I can see her enjoying that," he said. I nodded as I swallowed my bite and reached for my soda.

"She likes her classes so far," I said, then took a long swig of my drink. I watched as Double Dee resumed eating his sandwich delicately. We fell into silence as I finished my chips and soda and he ate his sandwich. Once I was done, I crumpled up the wrapper and empty chip bag together. I balled them up and aimed for the trash can a good distance away. Double Dee turned his head to watch the trash projectile disappear into the trash can. He turned back to look at me smiling slightly. I smiled back before awkwardly looking off and tapping my fingers into the table. He quickly looked back down at his sandwich and cleared his throat. _Oh man this is awkward…_

"Kevin?" I looked up at the person who had called my name. Double Dee looked up as well as Stephen approached our table. "Funny seeing you here," he said and smiled.

"Oh, hey dude. Sup?" I held up a fist which Stephen bumped with his own.

"Nothing, just grabbing lunch before my next class. What's up with you?"

"Well, the Dork and I just got done with class so we decided to get some lunch," I explained, motioning a hand to Double Dee who frowned at me for the nickname. Stephen laughed and looked over at the dark haired kid.

"The Dork? Is that a cute pet name or something?" I swore I had never seen Double Dee turn so bright red so quickly before. I snickered as Double Dee stammered about how we were merely friends and the name came from our childhood. I slapped the empty seat beside me as I continued to laugh at Double Dee's reaction and Stephen took that as his cue to sit down.

"Stephen, this is Double Dee. I mean, Edd, but everyone calls him Double Dee," I explained. Stephen had set his food down and waved at the dork, whose face was still bright red. "Don't mind him," I said, grinning. "He gets embarrassed easily," I explained. Double Dee gave me a loaded look as his face started to turn normal. "This is Stephen, my friend I was telling you about earlier," I explained to Edd who glanced over at Stephen. Stephen looked over at me then back to Edd, who greeted him.

"Greetings, Stephen. It's a pleasure to meet you," he stated ever so properly as he reached for his water. Stephen flashed him a smile before looking back at me.

"You told him about me?" He asked as he opened his container of pasta.

"Yeah. Andy approached me after our psych class and Double Dee happened to overhear the conversation," I said and Stephen froze.

"A-Andy?" I nodded. "What did he say? Did he hear about…?"

"Yeah, he did. He said Curtis was pissed off because I punched Mike," I explained to him as I twisted my soda can between my hands. I saw Double Dee watching us from the corner of my eye.

"Ah. I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Don't be," I said simply and took another sip. "I'd gladly punch him again." Stephen smiled and shook his head. "And I told Andy, if Curtis had a problem he could talk to me about it," I said, meeting Stephen's gaze.

"Well, hopefully that won't cause any trouble between you and the upperclassmen," he said as he picked up his fork and took a bite. I merely shrugged. I polished off my soda and tossed it towards the trash can as well. Edd had finished his sandwich, finally, and neatly folded up his trash.

"You've got baseball tryouts this week, don't you?" Stephen asked before taking another bite.

"Yup. Nat and I both. I'm aiming for pitcher but we'll see. Chances are good they won't give the position to a freshman," I said and shrugged again.

"That would be incongruous of them," Double Dee said from across the table. "I remember seeing your skills at several baseball games in high school. You are well suited for the position of pitcher," he said. "Why, to rob you of the position simply due to class rank would be undue," he said. I wasn't quite sure what incongruous meant. Stephen just looked at him.

"Yeah what he said," Stephen said and I snorted a bit.

"Well if the decision was up to you two, I'd have nothing to worry about," I stated dryly. I took my phone out of my pocket to check the time. "Well, I gotta get going. Nat's probably waiting for me." I stood up. "I'll see you around, dude." I fist bumped Stephen as Double Dee stood up as well. We made eye contact. "You heading out too?" He nodded.

"I have several assignments to complete. I'll accompany you on your walk until we reach the library, unless you have any objections to the idea," he said.

"None. Let's go."

We conversed a bit as we walked and when we reached the library, the dork waved and said goodbye. I waved back and told him I'd see him around. I watched him turn around and head towards the doors of the library. As I continued to watch him, I thought about how easy it had become to talk to him. We were extremely different people, but we somehow found things to talk about. Or disagree about, which was always more entertaining, in my personal opinion. It was still strange to think of Double Dee as my friend...but it was feeling less strange with each encounter we had.

"You watching your lover walk away?" I jumped back at the unexpected voice in my ear.

"Goddamnit, Nat!"

* * *

 **Sorry for delays in updates. I just finished my spring semester so I have a bit of free time, so I'm trying to get as much writing done as I can without rushing. But I only have a week off before my Internships start. :( I hope you can forgive me. Patience is appreciated!**

 **~Stay Beautiful  
**

Nat (c) C2ndy2c1d of deviantart


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